


No Rules!

by robits



Category: Death Note, Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, detective duos!, tanaka minoru deserves better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22784275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robits/pseuds/robits
Summary: The Shinigami King never makes the new rule. Tanaka Minoru gets his money but Trump loses the Death Note, leaving Ryuk to find a new owner who'll finally walk in Kira's footsteps. But all that owner wants to do is find A-Kira and turn him in to L. By chance, something happens and now Minoru and Near have to work together to catch the new owner, unaware he's right under their noses.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

"Got it. You value your life over your country." Ryuk flew from the White House, Death Note in hand after threatening Donald Trump with his name in his note when Trump stated he would do nothing with his. He didn't want to die (again) of boredom. "Man, will someone get to use it? All I ask for's a little fun while I'm here…" He flapped his wings, soaring over the United States. "Ah," he stopped, struck with an idea, "maybe if I randomly drop it, fate will find someone… just like how it was with old Light!"

Ryuk groaned. "But I was in the shinigami realm when I dropped it… seems like a waste of time going there and back…" He looked down at the bustling crowd below him. His permanent grin growing eerily wider, he continued, "But if I just drop it here, that'd be random enough!"

Letting go of the Death Note, he watched as it fell.

"Now," he said, "fate better entertain me well."

Bright pop music played through Kyoshi's earbuds as he headed down the crosswalk, bobbing his head and lightly swinging his bag of groceries, albeit a little off-beat. He was heading home to help his mother cook tonight. In celebration of his first ever 4.0 in high school (in the past, his best was a good 3.6,) they were making a big dinner for the three of them; himself, his mom, and his dad. It was an odd feeling for him, getting a 4.0. Some of his friends considered it the lowest GPA they could possibly get, and others were struggling to get half of that. Nevertheless, he was proud of his achievement, even if it did feel handed to him since he was taking the easiest AP and honors classes.

"Ack!"

He stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to look for whatever hit his head. Looking down, he spotted the back of a black notebook.

'Huh, is this what hit me?' he thought, picking it up. Looking around to see if anyone was frantically searching for it—there was no one of the sort—he assumed either it slipped from someone's grasp without their noticing it or it'd just always been on the road. But how did it hit his head…?

People had started to walk around him, some making dirty faces. 'Right, I'm standing in the middle of the road…' Stuffing the notebook in his grocery bag, he started his walk home again. No one was looking for it, so it should be okay for him to keep it, right? He hadn't taken a proper look, but it didn't seem like anything important enough for someone to just leave it on the road. If it did have some sort of identification, however, he'd be sure to turn it in. After all, he didn't want to be a thief.

Kyoshi returned home, greeting his mother.

"Kyoshi! How's my scholar?" she said, smiling from the kitchen.

"I'm just happy knowing I'll graduate in a month." He started walking towards the kitchen, carrying the bag of groceries. "Oh," he said to himself, and stopped in his tracks.

'I almost forgot about the notebook.' Setting the bag down on the coffee table, he pulled out the notebook, flipped it over, and…

'Death Note?'

"Of course you're graduating!" she answered. "Don't say things like that. You're such a hard worker!"

"Oh, uh, yeah," he said, eyes glued to the notebook in his hands. What… was this?

Snapping back to reality, he placed the notebook face-down on the coffee table, picked up the grocery bag, and gave it to his mother.

"Dinner will be ready soon."

Kyoshi nodded. He picked up the notebook and went inside his bedroom to sit at his desk with it, making sure to lock his door first.

He reread the cover, and sure enough, it said it was a Death Note, whatever that meant. Flipping to the first page, he found a list of rules in English with Japanese translations under each line. Good thing he was bilingual.

"The human whose name is written in this note," he read aloud, "shall… die." Scratching his head, he continued to read the rest of the rules written on the first page, even if he did find it weirdly morbid.

So, it was a notebook of death. Assumably. The part about heart attacks reminded him an awful lot of the mass murderer Kira, but this possibly couldn't have been what he used. Kyoshi wasn't one to believe in the supernatural. He did, however, think that perhaps one of Kira's crazy followers made this out of speculation of what he used to murder all those people.

He let out a short laugh. Maybe he could use it as one of his school notebooks. Show up to class with it one day, watch his friends' reactions…

"Kyoshi, dinner!" his mom called.

Leaving the notebook on his desk, he got up and—

"Aw, come on!"

Kyoshi froze, doorknob right below his hand. What just…

"Behind you, heh heh heh."

A shadow engulfed the wall he faced. Did someone break in his room?! He had nothing in his hands to protect himself. His eyes scanned the items near him, trying to find anything he could easily pick up and use as a weapon. Violin, backpack, #1 son mug… With a shaky breath escaping his lips, he decided to finally turn around after considering his limited options, and found himself up against a…

"AAAHHHHHH!"

Collapsing against the door, he grabbed his violin and held it over his shoulder by the neck. A small voice in the back of his mind was pleading for him to not destroy a $10,000 instrument, but at that point in time he wanted to live.

Vision shaking, the grip on his violin tightened. "W-what, what are you?!"

The monster just chuckled. "I'm Ryuk. A shinigami."

"Shinigami?" That was a Japanese term, wasn't it? But he was speaking English all those other times. Kyoshi gulped. The notebook had rules in English and Japanese. Did this… shinigami… have something to do with it, then?

"Yeah. Honestly, I wasn't going to pop up this early 'cause I wanted to recreate the situation I put Kira in, but seriously? I leave it up to fate to find someone fun for me, but you're not even a little curious?" He laughed. "Either way, I think fate's a little… eh, what's that word? Where it's all samey? Starts with an H, I think."

"Uh… homogeneous?"

"Yeah, that. Homogeneous. After all, it's funny how three times in a row it's been owned by young Japanese boys."

"I-I'm American…"

"Oh."

Kyoshi shakily stood up, putting his violin back in its stand. The voice in the back of his mind sighed in relief. "So, you're telling me," he said, "Kira actually used this? It's not just some fan-made notebook?"

"If it was, I wouldn't be here, heh."

He heard his mom call out his name again.

"Hey, um, Ryuk."

The shinigami grinned at him. Or did he? It seemed like it was stuck that way.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Can you stay here?"

That seemed to get him into a laughing fit. Wiping away his tears (did he really have tears?) Ryuk said, "You know, you're the only one who can see me."

Kyoshi's eyes widened.

"At least, in your house."

That left a lot of implications.

"You know what, I'll tell you all about everything after you finish your, eh, dinner."

Kyoshi reluctantly nodded, heading out of his room and joining his family, half-expecting the shinigami to be following him out.

The dinner with his parents wasn't out of the ordinary, which surprised Kyoshi because he was expecting someone to point out his seemingly obvious fidgety-ness. But it was a normal celebratory dinner, simple questions being asked about his studies, friends, and general wellness. His dad got a raise at his job of being a doctor, which sort of turned it into a double celebration. The topic of graduation came up, and ultimately the trip to Japan so they could spend time with his grandparents.

After finishing, he returned to his room where Ryuk was waiting to tell him all about the Death Note; its rules and its history. His whole retelling of Kira's story was already so staggering, but what caught his immediate attention was his mention of the last holder of the Death Note, probably because he was still alive. Probably because, although he never wrote in the note, he still used it and was able to get a happy ending without knowing it was ever him.

"So, you smart, or what?"

Kyoshi turned to look at the shinigami's face. Mouth agape, eyes crossed, creepy aura… he doesn't think he could ever get used to looking at him. His answer was hesitant. Nevertheless, he still spoke. "I'm average."

"But what about your mom, eh? She called you her scholar!"

"She'd call me that no matter what."

"Alright, alright, but what about the point of your whole dinner celebrating you on, uh, being smart?"

He sighed. "That's just a one-time thing. My grades are usually worse than that, even when I work my hardest." The bed creaked as he lay down on it. "I just got off easy senior year, since all my classes, even though they're AP and honors, aren't too much effort. As long as I stay on top of my work, I can get A's or B's."

Ryuk scratched his head. "AP… honors… maybe I should've stayed in Japan… But still, Kyoshi. I think you can do it."

'Do… it?'

He almost scoffed. Yeah, no way he could be the next Kira. He didn't hold the same ideals as him, and he was sure he wasn't half as smart as he was. If he were being honest, he wouldn't have such an adverse reaction to causing someone's death, but other than that, he couldn't think of a situation where he'd want to use it. He held no grudges against anyone, and it wasn't like anyone he knew was in a life or death situation that he could help them with. But looking up at the shinigami, he was sure he'd be searching for another owner if he returned it to him, possibly leaving it to someone with real ill intent. It didn't sound like he could just keep it safe, either, because Ryuk seemed to be looking for someone that'll entertain him with it.

Kyoshi remembered something Ryuk said. "Ryuk," he called, sitting up on his bed.

"Eh?"

"The last person who owned this… um… I'll just call him the sellout."

"Hah. Sellout."

"He never got caught by L, right?"

"Nope."

"Huh." He turned around to get on his laptop, switching to a Japanese VPN to make things easier. Even if L couldn't find him...

Ryuk was looking over his shoulder. "What 'cha looking for?"

"The highest IQ scores in Japanese schools."

"You're trying to find him?"

'Yes, 'cause maybe I can find him,' he thought. Ryuk wanted another Kira. The best way he'd try and find him is to go back to Japan, find someone with obvious smarts, and encourage him to do what he wanted. After all, he did say the last three users (including him) were all young Japanese boys. The only reason he himself owned the Death Note now was because Ryuk probably thought randomly dropping it would be a more authentic way of finding him.

Kyoshi's research revealed that barely any high schools had records of their students' IQs. However, there were many middle school scores made public, even if they were all anonymous and put on a scatterplot.

After what seemed like ages (and several complaints from Ryuk about how it felt like he was watching someone do homework,) he finally came across one middle school that had a noticeably high outlier from a few years ago.

He thought his plan would work well if the shinigami wanted entertainment. "I think I know what I want to do with the Death Note, Ryuk," he said.

That seemed to get him in high spirits.

"But I'm not going to need it until next month."

And his spirits went back down. That creepy grin never changed, though.

"Okay, I'm going to Japan after I graduate, and that's when my plan's going to start. I mean, I can keep you happy with apples until it happens. My mom grows fruits in our garden, so they're extra fresh."

Ryuk's eyes widened. "Heh heh, now that sounds like a good deal."

A month passed. Kyoshi was living with his grandparents in Japan. His mother came, but unfortunately his father had to stay for his work.

"Man, that flight was so boring. I almost feel bad for you humans! Wings really make everything better."

And Ryuk came, too.

Other than his mother wondering where all the apples went, living with a shinigami hadn't had any misfortunes. But now that they were in a country where any police officer could be the ones that have been in contact with the Death Note and therefore be able to see Ryuk, nervousness couldn't help but settle in his stomach. Kyoshi supposed this wasn't the worst thing that could happen, though. It even felt kind of fun, plotting his next moves so he could find the sellout. He hadn't felt this invested in something since he was 12 years old in his middle school orchestra…

"So what's your plan now that we're here, huh?"

Kyoshi pulled up his phone and looked up directions to the sellout's old middle school.

"We're going to break in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i read the one shot and thought... that was way too short, i want more of my boy minoru. i also didn't like the rule the shinigami king made, but that's why fanfiction exists lol. so i know it might be off-putting to start a fic with an OC when it's about minoru, but that was really the only way i could think of that would force him to get his memories back, as well as a reason for near to be interested again and not admit defeat (because i know he can do more, he just wasn't motivated enough.) it might sound confusing how that's gonna happen with an OC, but hey, i don't like spoiling stories ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Kyoshi, after settling in with his grandparents, finally began putting his plan to find the sellout into action. It was the last half of June. The bright, blue sky was illuminated by the sun, birds flying above him. There were more pedestrians and bicycles than cars, and the only sounds he heard were the small pieces of conversation of those around him and nature’s ambience. Walking through the streets of where his grandparents lived was certainly a different experience than walking down the street at his house (if he walked at all anymore, because now he just drove everywhere.) He was glad that, even though he was on a basically illegal mission with a shinigami constantly flying next to him, he could take the time to appreciate where he was.

He first went to a thrift store to buy a disguise consisting of dark clothing, a hat, gloves, and a mask. Then he went home and left his new purchases there, dressed in semi-formal clothing, and headed to the middle school on foot.

“So what’s with the getup?” Ryuk asked as he floated behind him. “You gonna try and convince them you’re someone in charge?”

“No,” Kyoshi answered, “that’s way too complicated. I’m just going inside so I can find out where any cameras are. If it’s not too risky to do anything with the staff still there, though, then this is the only trip I’m making there.”

“And if it is too risky?”

Kyoshi laughed. “Well, you saw what I bought, right?” After a small chuckle coming from Ryuk, he continued, “I just need to get to the principal’s computer. I’m guessing that’s where all the digital files of their students are kept. If I can get that information right now, that’d be good, but I get the feeling I’m gonna need to come back at night.”

“I still don’t get why you can’t do that in your normal clothes, though. And your hair’s gelled up weird.”

“Precautions,” he shrugged. “You can do anything if you look like you belong. By the way, do you mind looking at what the principal’s login is?”

“Ah, I don’t—”

He tossed him an apple from his bag.

“Sure thing, Kyoshi.”

The pair finally arrived at the middle school. Kyoshi took the time to search for the school’s map online beforehand, so he already knew where to find the faculty room. He went inside the building and came to the principal’s door, knocked, and sat down on a chair, waiting for someone to open it.

_‘Okay_ ,’ he thought, ‘ _there weren’t many cameras here, so I’m pretty sure I can find a blindspot if I had to sneak in later…_ _especially if I’m in a disguise.”_

The door handle started to shake, opening up to reveal the school’s principal; a bald man with circle glasses. 

“Hello,” he greeted Kyoshi. “Did you knock?”

“Yes,” Kyoshi answered, standing up. “Can I come in?”

The principal nodded and gestured for him to come inside, closing the door once they both went inside. The padded leather chair made a squeaky noise as he sat down on it. Kyoshi noticed that next to his intertwined fingers on the desk there was his nameplate. _Fukunaga Toshiaki, Principal_.

“Hm, you don’t look much like a middle schooler. What brings you here?”

Kyoshi laughed at his quip, and replied, “Actually, I’m here for my cousin. Ren Sato attended this school two years ago and we’re trying to find all his records, like any grades, IQ assessments, test scores…”

Ryuk, just as he’d instructed, stood behind the principal and stared at the keyboard, waiting for him to type in his information. He gave a thumbs up.

“Okay, I’m going to search for his file and see if you’re listed as one of his immediate contacts. If not, though, I can’t share his information. What’s your name, son?”

“Kyoshi Ueda.” Which was the truth. He didn’t have anything to hide from this man.

“Oi,” Ryuk interrupted. “His username is his email and his password is a random combination, so listen up because I’m only saying this once.”

Kyoshi blinked in acknowledgement.

“ _Xdfg$#01?UUp6_.”

And then he pulled out his phone to type it down because he would never, ever be able to remember all of that after hearing it once.

“Huh,” the principal said. “It seems you’re not on his contact list… Maybe you can give him a call? Tell him you’re here, and all that.”

“Yeah. I will later, though. I think he’s in class right now.”

“Alright.” The principal smiled. “I’ll see you soon then, Ueda.”

He waved goodbye and left the office, heading home with the principal’s password sitting in his phone’s notes and a good idea of where all the cameras were.

“Ren Sato, huh?” Ryuk said. “I didn’t know you had a cousin who went there.”

“I don’t. I just came up with the name.”

“Eh? But he was able to pull up his file.”

“Well, it’s a generic name so it’s not surprising that it happened. But if he got suspicious about it, I’d just say I went to the wrong school and had the wrong Ren Sato.”

Ryuk hummed at that.

It turned to nighttime; about 3 am. Kyoshi and Ryuk were back at the middle school, this time without the formal attire and instead donning the dark clothing he bought.

Kyoshi hesitated. Was he really about to break into a middle school? Sure, he thoroughly planned out where he’d go based on where he saw the cameras (as well as having planned this whole scheme for the past month,) but anything can go wrong. Especially in something so obviously illegal.

“Ryuk, would you tell me if someone's near?”

“Maybe.” 

Kyoshi made a mental note that shinigamis are nearly useless without bribery. But he already came this far. He wasn't going to give up now, even if he did feel his heartbeat heavily pounding against his ribcage.

He took the same route to the principal’s office as he did in the morning, keeping his head down and trying to avoid being caught on tape as much as he can. He did think about just erasing the footage once he got all the information, but he doubted he’d be able to figure it out. Reaching the door to the building, he noticed it was unlocked… odd. Quietly pushing it open, he walked inside, trying to put as little weight in his footsteps as possible. None of the lights were on, and crickets were the only noises he heard. Maybe someone just forgot to lock up.

The principal’s office was now in front of him. His glove turning the door handle, he cautiously went to turn on the computer after closing the door behind him. Logging in was easy since he had all the information (thanks, Ryuk.) What _wasn’t_ easy was trying to type with gloves on… but he knew better than to take them off.

‘ _Let’s see_ ,’ he thought, ‘ _he had an IQ of 142, so if I just search the number where all the files are_ …’

A push of a button and one student’s file showed up. The outlier, Tanaka Minoru. It listed all his information; height, weight, address, phone number, and a picture of him in the top left. It was basically all he needed if he ever had to contact him, and he hoped that at least his address had stayed the same over the past two years. Taking a picture of the file with his phone, he closed everything he opened and shut the computer down, leaving it exactly as he found it.

That was frighteningly easy for someone who’s never broken into anything before. Kyoshi wondered if all this time he could’ve spent his time perfecting the art of thieving… if it could be considered an art, really. But it _was_ pretty exhilarating.

As he was _just_ starting to relax, he heard the handle to the door shake. His heart felt as if it had stopped, time coming to a slow crawl.

‘ _Where should I hide? Should I hide at all? Should I run off?!_ ’ His thoughts ran wild in his head, but there was no time to think. He slipped under a nearby table just before the door swung open. 

Footsteps. The flick of a light switch. Kyoshi held his breath, wondering if whoever walked in could hear his heart pounding as loud as he did. Trying to peek at who it was, he recognized that it was the principal he had just met with earlier; Fukunaga Toshiaki. What was he doing here at a time like this…?

“You’re in a tough spot, Kyoshi.”

He almost choked when the shinigami appeared next to the principal.

“But, you know,” he continued, “you probably have it handled.” His grin widened. “Why else would you take the Death Note with you?”

…The Death Note. He did bring it with him. Not because he thought he’d have to use it, no, but because it had become a habit to take it everywhere he went out of fear that someone may find it... But what Ryuk was suggesting was beyond sensible. He knew better than to kill an innocent principal for doing nothing but overtime.

His eyes fell to a nail on the hardwood floor as he searched around the room for ideas on how to escape. If he threw it at the wall adjacent to him, he could easily run outside the door. Even if the principal tried to run after him, he doubted he’d be able to catch up with him. Then again, he could call the cops.That might lead to them checking the cameras, and if a policeman who can see Ryuk watches them… 

… Kyoshi discarded that idea. He needed something that would guarantee his escape without arousing any suspicion at all. Perhaps he could just wait until the principal left, but there was no way of telling when he’ll leave. He might not even leave in the first place, because this could very well be the usual time he arrives at the school.

The principal took a step closer to where he hid. Kyoshi wanted to breathe, but if he did he feared he’d start hyperventilating.

‘ _Is he coming over here…?_ _What am I supposed to do?!_ ’

He could see Ryuk watching him, his expression held in such a way that looked like he was about to have a laughing fit.

‘ _There has to be another way out of this. I don’t need the Death Note, I—_ ’

“ _HEY!_ ”

_‘Fuck_.’

He had crouched down to find a masked boy in all-black hiding under the table. The boy kicked the table up with surprising strength, flipping it and nearly crushing him with it.

“ _STOP RIGHT NOW!_ ” he yelled, tackling and pinning Kyoshi to the ground. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re in here, but don’t you _dare_ do anything because I _will_ call the police.”

Kyoshi could barely speak; his throat completely dried up. To make things worse, his mask fell off. The principal’s eyes widened in recognition.

“You… you’re that boy who asked for his cousin’s records today.”

He nodded.

“What are you doing here looking like you’re going to steal something? You’ve already done something illegal, you know, breaking and entering is a serious crime.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Kyoshi said, vision shaking. “I just…”

The principal sighed and got off of Kyoshi, standing up to block the door. After Kyoshi got up from the floor, he spoke. “Explain, boy.”

‘ _He knows it’s me_ ,’ he thought. ‘ _He knows I’m Kyoshi Ueda. Even if I come up with a plausible reason for breaking in, that won’t stop him from remembering me. He’ll tell others about me. He’ll tell the police, and the police will know Ryuk was with me._ ’

Kyoshi could destroy the camera footage, but he couldn’t erase someone’s memories… without… 

His brow furrowed in exasperation.

‘ _You got me, Ryuk._ ’

Kyoshi pulled the Death Note out, shaky hands grabbing a nearby pen from the desk, earning a confused stare from the principal. He didn’t deserve this. He even gave him time to explain after finding him in such an incriminating position, but… 

_Fukunaga Toshiaki_.

Quickly leaving the office, he moved to the camera room. No matter how fast he tried to get away from him, he still heard it. He could hear his last words.

He thought he heard him say “ _Kira_.”

* * *

‘. _.. of local middle school, Fukunaga Toshiaki, passes away in his office to a heart attack. This is a tragedy, and we send our condolences to his friends and family. However, upon arriving at the school, staff reported the camera room was completely destroyed. Police are speculating how this could have happened and whether it is a coincidence or not._ ’

“Oh no,” his grandma exclaimed, “how sad!”

Kyoshi simply nodded, trying to ignore Ryuk’s manic laughter in the background.

“You, heh, you actually _destroyed_ the camera room?! That’s hilarious!”

‘ _I’m not as tech-savvy as you think, Ryuk_ ,’ he pouted.

“Hey, grandma. Let’s watch something happier,” he said, and picked up the TV remote to change channels. He stopped on something that looked like a soap opera. It wasn’t necessarily happier, but at least it wasn’t real.

Going to his room, he shut the door and face-planted on his bed. He wanted to be left alone, but of course the shinigami saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“ _Kyoshiii_ ,” he pestered. “You never told me how it felt to use the Death Note.”

Not making an effort to lift up his head, his speech came muffled from the mattress. “Because I don’t want to.”

“But you still did. You actually surprised me, you know.”

Kyoshi didn’t want to think about it, but ever since it happened it had been replaying in his mind again and again, and again. How if he just had a little more time, maybe he could’ve thought of something that didn’t need the Death Note. Fukunaga would still be alive, and the news wouldn’t be broadcasting this whole situation just a single day after it happened. He knew he was weak. That’s why he used the Death Note. He wasn’t super smart like Kira, or even the sellout who had an impossible IQ he’d only waste time trying to reach. The Death Note was used as a tool to escape, and Kyoshi stripped away the meaning of Fukunaga’s life, using him as a mere footstool to progress his plan.

And now he was one step closer to busting the sellout.

‘ _Tanaka Minoru, you better be worth all this trouble._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaand there it is. thank you to everyone who reviewed and gave kudos! it really helps me out knowing people are reading this story. and finally, minoru's making an appearance soon. stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

Tanaka Minoru was the same age as Kyoshi, though he assumed he was a high school student in his last year because he was in middle school two years ago. He happened to live in the same neighborhood as his grandparents, which was surprisingly convenient. According to the file, even though his IQ was frighteningly high, his grades were barely passing… It somehow annoyed Kyoshi. How could he be so gifted but not put any effort into his work? Take his intelligence for granted like that? All that wasted potential, while Kyoshi was a B-average student despite being a hard-worker... but his whole journey up until now had convinced him smarts weren't everything. He, a painfully average teenager, found the last owner of the Death Note. Something even the smartest detective in the world—no, the smartest _human_ in the world—couldn't do. He wonders what reaction he'd get from the world-renowned detective. He couldn't wait to hear it.

Noticing the shinigami's glare, he caught himself. ' _Calm down_ ,' he told himself. ' _You still don't know if Tanaka Minoru is even the right guy_.'

Right. He did not have much (actually, any) evidence it was Minoru, even if he did have an extremely high IQ. It could very well be another person Ryuk chose. He did say it was a smart, young Japanese boy, didn't he? That could be anyone. However, asking Ryuk himself never seemed to help since, even through his pestering and offering of apples, he kept going on about his rule of not being on anyone's side if it was something this important… which only had Kyoshi questioning what Ryuk thought to be valuable enough to keep from him.

"What's next on the agenda, _Yoshi_?"

"Please don't call me that," he whined.

"Eh? I like it."

"And I like not being compared to a green dinosaur." He took a deep breath. "Anyway, I need to see Minoru. Like, in real life."

Ryuk's eyes lit up. "You're visiting him?"

Kyoshi nodded and pulled up the picture he took of Minoru's file, pointing out the address listed.

"I think I'm going to leave a page of the Death Note at his doorstep. I can't accuse him of being the sellout if he doesn't even remember doing it, so if he picks it up and remembers anything, that should be enough. Both for evidence, and to tell if it really is him because _you_ won't tell me if it's him or not."

"That makes this more fun, though!"

He almost rolled his eyes at the shinigami. Still, that really was the whole purpose of Ryuk coming down to earth and finding a new owner—entertainment. That was what Kyoshi chose to provide him, rather than him finding someone who would use it to kill.

...But that was exactly what he did.

_Fukunaga Toshiaki_.

Kyoshi Ueda was a murderer. Didn't that mean he was actually worse than Minoru…? No, he was doing all this to find him, which wasn't a bad thing, at all. He was just acting as his own private detective, making the quickest and most effective decisions to get to his end goal. At least, he thought so.

But that got him thinking; what happens when Minoru picks up the page and he _does_ remember? He'd be able to see Ryuk following Kyoshi around, no matter what. Unless he got rid of the Death Note…

"Hey, Ryuk," he said.

"Yeah?"

"If I give up ownership of the Death Note, you'd stop following me around, right?"

"Yup. As if you never had it in the first place," Ryuk chuckled. "But your memories'll leave you, too, remember?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said, recalling his use of the Death Note. Unlike everyone else who touched the Death Note and still to this day remember it, he was the only one who actually wrote in it and ultimately would forget about it. Then, a small detail from Ryuk's stories suddenly rose in his mind. As long as he kept touching a part of the note, he could remember everything.

Kyoshi ripped a small strip from the Death note and, grabbing a pen, colored it black. He earned a curious glare from Ryuk, but kept going. Taking a black earring out, he wrapped the strip around it so it would constantly touch his skin whenever he wore it.

Turning to Ryuk, he asked, "This'll be enough to let me remember if I gave up ownership, right?"

" _Heh heh heh_ , yeah, it will." His monstrous grin never failed to creep Kyoshi out. "You're giving it up?"

"Well... this is just a precaution." He stood up from his bed, arms stretching over his head. "You have a 14 kilometer radius, right? Just stay as far away from me as possible." Picking up his phone, he nodded to Ryuk, and went on his way to the sellout's home.

* * *

Life had been kind to Minoru this past month, and of all people, it was Kira to make it happen. Japan's economy was booming, and his own wallet's pockets deepened. He and his mother chose to celebrate by eating out at a nice restaurant in the evening; unlike others who immediately bought houses and cars, any drastic financial choices they'd make could wait. But for now, he planned on buying a nice gift for her before they went out.

"I'm leaving," he called out, and stepped out the door.

Halfway outside his front yard, he found a piece of paper on the ground. It rustled in the wind, but declined to move as it was seemingly held by a single piece of double sided tape. Weird. It wouldn't be something he'd quickly notice, but the fact it was smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk made it hard to miss. Moving to pick it up, his hand brushed across it—

He let out a scream he imagined the whole country of Japan could hear. Memories came flooding back; the Death Note, Ryuk, and most importantly, the fact that _he_ was the one who sold it.

Questions ran quick through his mind; what was a page of the Death Note doing here? Shouldn't the president of the United States be holding it right now? And finally, _where was Ryuk_?!

Minoru explicitly told him to leave him alone. He didn't want these memories to haunt him forever, so he was planning to force the shinigami to erase his memory once again. But as he took a good look around the area, he couldn't find a trace of him anywhere. _Another_ weird thing. He was supposed to haunt the owner of the Death Note… did that mean someone else was the owner? Did this person find out Minoru was the one who sold the Death Note? If so… _this_ person was to blame for the page.

Taking his earbuds out, he concentrated on the situation. The first thing Minoru thought about was why the new owner put the page there in the first place. He didn't bother trying to think of how they found out it was him, because even if he _was_ curious, it wasn't worth taking the time to think about it right now. Actually, he realized, he didn't think this person really _was_ sure he was the last holder, because if they were, there'd be no reason to have his memories come back right at this moment... then it clicked.

He stood up and walked into the streets.

' _Even if I can't see Ryuk, I'm sure the owner is nearby._ '

Completely wrapping up his earbuds, sticking it in his pocket, he hastened his step towards a swiftly moving shadow on the ground, it disappearing behind a corner.

' _The reason the owner needed me to remember was to confirm their suspicions of me. So, naturally…_ '

A boy dressed in all black turned around, and, from five meters away, made eye contact with Minoru. He ran.

' _They needed to physically see my reaction when regaining my memories._ '

Minoru gave chase to the boy, who was unfortunately running much faster than he was. He did appreciate the fact he didn't make it harder for him by leaving obstacle-worthy objects alone; all the movies he watched where the pursuer had to jump over things the runner knocked down could never prepare him for the real thing.

After what felt like a million steps from his soles pounding the pavement, he stopped to catch his breath—chest heaving, strands of hair sticking to his forehead. Minoru couldn't go on anymore. It felt like he ran for _miles_ , and he definitely wasn't the sporty type. Besides, once he looked up after resting for a few seconds, the boy had completely disappeared.

Well, it was time to satiate his curiosity. How did this boy find him?

Minoru still had to buy a gift for his mother, so he deliberated it on his way to the store. If Ryuk had really kept his promise to leave him alone, Minoru ruled out the possibility he'd rat him out. After all, he kept Kira's personal information private. There was no reason not to keep his private, as well, especially since he didn't want anything to do with the Death Note.

Sigh escaping his lips, he cradled his face with his hand. This was so _annoying_.

He arrived at the store. There wasn't a big enough crowd inside to drown out the smell of sanitary wipes, but that was probably because most people chose to shop in far more lavish boutiques. Still, there should be something to satisfy his mother's tastes enough. Some customers gave him odd looks as he walked around. Minoru didn't care too much, though; he figured sprinting for miles wouldn't leave him in such a presentable state, anyway.

The threads of various clothing caught on his fingernails as he traced his fingers over it. These tops were way too lacey to buy for someone like his mom… _ew_. He didn't even know what size she was, so maybe some nice earrings would suffice.

Making his way to the jewelry section, the TV buzzed above him as it played the news station; reporting someone's death. Huh, that reminded him of what got reported the other day. He was never too fond of his middle school principal, but it was a rather unfortunate way for him to die… wait.

He died of a heart attack. And the camera room, according to the news, was completely destroyed. Did the new holder do all of that to find Minoru? He was desperate enough to kill some old man?

Minoru fidgeted with the earphones in his pocket. No, he didn't think he was so psychopathic that he _wanted_ to kill the principal. Something had to have happened where he felt there was no way out; enough to completely destroy a room, rather than figuring out how to delete everything. But this guy… the nerve he had to show up at his suspect's house, break into a middle school and kill the principal, break a shit ton of electronic equipment… this guy was pretty chaotic. Was it really a good idea to have the Death Note in the hands of someone like this…?

It didn't matter. Minoru just needed to find Ryuk so he can take away his memories. It's not like it was even his problem in the first place, so why worry?

Except for the fact that this new owner was actively seeking him out for god knows what. Letting him go was the same thing as singing his own name into the Death Note. There was no way to tell what this lawless new owner was going to do with his power, so in the same way the boy seeked him out, Minoru was going to do the same thing. And this time, he was definitely going to catch him.

* * *

Kyoshi's soles pounded the pavement, slowing down once he reached a secluded alleyway. Every inhale and exhale was an effort. He hunched over, resting his arms on his knees as he watched the sweat drip down from his forehead. And after all of that, he smiled. He forced himself not to start laughing, but still, small giggles escaped his lips.

Tanaka Minoru was the one. Tanaka Minoru was the sellout. The guess he made about the highest IQ all the way back in the United States was right, and his plan had worked flawlessly. He found the sellout using his own strengths, smarts, everything; and it felt _glorious_.

After his heart rate returned to normal, he took off his black jacket, revealing a crudely colorful shirt underneath. Now all that's left to do was to contact L.

Kyoshi returned home. His bedroom door creaked open and, once he stepped inside, loudly shut from the abrupt movement of his hand. Taking out his laptop, he sat at his desk and opened up his email account. He had already done his research on who he should email if he wanted to reach L, but that didn't guarantee if he'd really read it since he probably gets thousands of emails every day. The subject had to be something flashy, something that'd instantly grab L's attention…

"Yo," Ryuk said, popping up next to Kyoshi. The action made him jump in his seat, but he chose not to chide the shinigami for it. There were far more important matters to attend to at the moment.

"Hey, Ryuk. I know who the sellout is."

"Heh, I can tell. You've got this weird smile plastered on your face ever since you walked in the room!"

Kyoshi stared at him, then noticed his cheeks dropping once he gained consciousness of his actions. Huh, Ryuk was right. "I guess I'm just really happy," he said, "I spent all this time planning out how this'll all go for a while, and it actually _worked_. Like, all my effort was finally worth it."

Ryuk cocked his head, then turned his gaze to the laptop screen. "So now, you're talking to L?"

"Yeah. I'm going to tell him about Minoru."

Kyoshi read over what he typed. It seemed good enough to capture L's attention. Moving his mouse over the send button, his finger rose above the left mouse button and… didn't click it because Ryuk had started a roaring laughing fit in the background. Annoyedly swiveling his chair to face the shinigami who had started rolling on the floor, he asked what was funny enough to distract him from continuing with the final step of his plan.

Calming down from his outburst, he stood up (floated up?) and took a good look at Kyoshi. Actually… he seemed to look at something above him.

"Oh. Nevermind."

" _Nevermind?_ "

"Yeah, it's gone. So is the moment. Sorry, go back to your email thing, _Yoshi_."

Hesitantly taking his eyes off the shinigami, he once again looked at the email in front of him. Shinigamis can see life spans, he knew that. Was that what Ryuk was laughing at? Did it suddenly change right before he sent the email, and then go back to what it was normally when he stopped to ask Ryuk?

It didn't make sense. Kyoshi was using a VPN, as well as a brand new email account that wasn't connected to him in any way, shape, or form. He decided against telling L who he was out of his own safety. After all, he _did_ use the Death Note. The only information he shared in the email was Tanaka Minoru's information as well as his reasonings as to why it's him, essentially leaving it up to L to question Minoru with all of his memories he can't get rid of. Of course, he'd only remember unless he finds Ryuk and asks him to erase his memory again. But that was something Kyoshi seriously doubted.

Ignoring Ryuk's laughter, he hovered the mouse pointer over the send button.

' _Sorry, Minoru. But I have a shinigami to entertain._ '

The email was sent, and Ryuk once again started laughing like a madman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we finally meet minoru!! also, thank you so much to everyone who's been reading this story. i really appreciate it :)) get ready for the next chapter! (a certain detective starts to get involved...)

**Author's Note:**

> so i read the one shot and thought... that was way too short, i want more of my boy minoru. i also didn't like the rule the shinigami king made, but that's why fanfiction exists lol. so i know it might be off-putting to start a fic with an OC when it's about minoru, but that was really the only way i could think of that would force him to get his memories back, as well as a reason for near to be interested again and not admit defeat (because i know he can do more, he just wasn't motivated enough.) it might sound confusing how that's gonna happen with an OC, but hey, i don't like spoiling stories ;)


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